Improvement in sewing-machines



SSheete-Sheet 1. BLODGETT & LEROW.

Sewing Machine.

No. 6,766. Patented Oct. 2 1849 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

BLODGETT & LEROW.

I Sewing'Mac'nine.

Patented Oct. 2, 1849.

I 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BLODGETT & LEROW.

Sewing Machine.

NO.,6,766. Patented Oct. 2, 1849;.

N, PETERS. Phalo-Lilhognpher. Washington. n.c.

' a similarclass, together with such parts as we ters Patent.

a horizontal section taken in the plane of the I 2, is a detail sectional View taken on the line EF, Fig. 3, Plate 2; and Figs. 5 and 6, Plate confined and carried 'round, being circular, so

same; In the second place the filling-thread for. making the stitch hold is carried and more clearly comprehended, in the de- UNITED STATES PATENT FFlCE S. C; BLODGETT, OF GEORGETOWN, AND J. A. LEROW-,:OF BOSTON; MASS IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Paterit'No. 6,766. dated October 2, [819.

To-aZZ whom it may concern.-

' Be it known thatwe, SHERBURNE O. Bron GETT, of Georgetown, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts,.and JOHN A. LE:

ROW, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State aforesaid,hav e invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machines; and

we do hereby declare that the following description, taken in connection with the accompan ying drawings, hereinafter referred to,

forms a full and exact specification of the same,

wherein we have set forth the nature and prin-' eiples of our said improvements, by which our invention may be distinguished from others of claim and desire to have secured to us by Let- The figures of the accompanying plates of drawings represent our new Rotary Sewing- Machine, as we term it. 1,

Figure 1, Plate l, is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 2, Plate 1, is a vertical section taken in the planeof the line A B, Fig. 1, Plate 1, and Fig 3, Plate 2. Fig. 3, Plate 2, is

line C D, Figs. 1 and 2, Plate 1. "Fig. 4,'Plate 2, are detail views, which will be referred to in the sequel.

' Our machine is distinguished from all other sewing-machines now known to us in several points very essential to the accomplishment of any valuable results from the machine and any real practical advantages over hand work.

In the first place it difiers from an other inachines in being a rotary sewing-machine, the feeding-bar, having hooks on which the cloth is that any length of elothto be seamed maybe constantly pressed onto and passed along on the ound in a rotary shuttle,'instead of a vibrating one, which is a great, desideratum, as the machine for driving the former may be made much simpler andmore substantial, while it can also be driven with much greater speed than thevibrating shuttle without any danger. The other points of improvement will be indicated,

scription' of the machine as we proceed with it.

The operative parts of the machine are supported on a circular-metallic plate, a a, on the top of a pillar, b b, which is fitted in the center of the circular standard-plate c c.

d dis the circular supporting-bar for holdin g th'etwo pieces or edges of the cloth to be seamed or united by sewing. i It is arranged eccentrically with reference to the cirou1ar 'plate a a, beingsupported on'ahorizontalproj ection, e e, from said plate on one side, and onan arm, f f, fastened to said plate on the other or opposite side, as shown in Fig. 3, Plate 2, said arm having a friction-roller, 9, bearing against the inner side of said bar to guide its rotary mo-' tion. On the exterior face of this bar are fitted, at proper intervals apart, the curved or hooked supporting-pins It h h h, on which'the two edges of thecloth to be pinned are pressed, and on and all around the top edge of said bar are cut suitable rack-teeth, as shown in theseveral-figures. "A pawl, M, Fig." 2, Plate '1, engages at one end with the rack-'teethfonsaid bar, above referred to,'being connected near its center to the vertical lever 70 k, which lever is secured by afulcrum pin, Z, to the interior .of the supporting frame-work m m mm (Figs. 1 and 2; Plate 1 and Fig. 3, Plate 2);of the driving-shaft n n, said frame-work resting on the circular plate a a, before referred to.

' The-pawl is kept in connection with the rack-teeth bymeans of the springo, connected tothe foot of the lever k k, and said lever has an intermittent vibrating motion imparted to it by means of a cam, p, formed on the drum q g on the driving-shaft n n, theupper end of said lever bearing against said cam, and a.

spring, 1" a pressing against the foot of 'said lever, serving to keep the upper end fof the lever against the cam and drum.

[The needle-thread, as we termlit, is'r'epresented'by-blue lines in the several principal figures, and is delivered from the spool .s, which turns loosely on thespindleft t, connected to the vibrating needle-holder n a a, shown in Figs; 1 and 2, Plate 1. This needle-holder is forked at its upper end, asshown in Fig. 2, Plate 1, so as to embrace a journal or axle, o '1), which has proper bearingsonthe top: of the supporting frame-work m m m, &c;, and said holder-isvibrated by means of a cam groove, .W W, properly cut for the purpose in the drum}; q on ,the, driving-shaft,intowhich groove a friction-roller, 1, connected to the inside of .the needle-holder, is fitted, as shown in Fig. 2, Plate .1, and by. dotted lines in Fig. 1, Plate 1. The needle-holder is bent into the shape shown in Fig, 1., Plate 1, and "has on its back a long spring, as w, confined to the-same near its center, said spring having a guiding-pin, Y, at its upper end, and a guidi ng-hole, Z, at its=lower end, over andthrough which respectively the thread passes to the under side of the needle a a. Said needleis confined in the lower end of the holder-by the confining-screw b, and has a hole o'reye a lit tie in rear of'its point, as shown in Fig. 1, Plate 1, and Fig. 3, Plate 2, which should besi'nall enough to keep the thread from falling back of its own weight. The needle-thread passes up through the eye of the needle, and is carriedby the same through the cloth, and a properopening or space out in the plate a 0, across the shuttle race or groove in said plate, (hereinafter referred to,) in which. the shuttle moves. Then whenth'e needle begins to beretractcd, a loop of the needle thread is thrown up, through which the shuttle with the filling-thread passes, as will bc'hereinafter explained.

It is" vitally essential to the proper operation; of the machine'that-when the needle goes forward the thread shall be free to be-drawn through the eye of the needle, in' 'ord'er that the loop may be sufficiently enlarged to perunit the shuttle-to. pazsthroughthe same," and as essential when the needle is retracted \by the back vibration of the holder, that the thread shall be rigidly held against the holder, in'orderthat the stitch may be efl'ectually tightened. This is provided for by the use of a wide spring, 0 0, attached to the upper art of the supporting frame-work m m, &c., and so arranged in relation to the vibrating needle-holder u u u that the spring .r a on the back of said holder, under which the thread passes, as before explained, shall abut againstthe lower end of the wide spring 0 c and co-nfine the thread, as described? Another method of accomplishing the same result is represented in Fig. 6, Plate 2, the guiding-pin for the thread being near the bottom of the holder, as shown at d, and the confining-spring being a short one and arranged on the side of the holder opposite said pin, as shown at 2, while the tightening-spring is a bentlever-spring, f f, fitting at the lower end in a proper'split formed in the heel of the holder, where ithas a fulcrum, its upper end being so arranged as to abut against some stationary part of the frame-work at the proper time to hold the thread, as before explained, said threadpass ing across the holder from the guiding-pin (1 under said spring tothe guiding-hole g, under the confining-spring e, as shown in said Fig. 6.

The bent spring h h, Fig. 1, Plate 1, supports the small four-sided frame 7: 174;, i, the exterior-of the inner side of wh ich frame bears against the cloth on the supporting'-bal" d Just above-the hooks on the same, (the needle ant snug j est below said hooks,) and l; caps the cloth inposition when the needle is withdrawn. Thissmall frame i i ii'i also sustains the converging nipper-springs k 70, between which the needle and its thread pass on their passage to the cloth, and when the needle is withdrawn these spi'i'iigs serve to keep the thread up sufficiently high to prevent the point of the needle on its return from splitting or becoming entangled with the same.

Z Z, Figs. 3, 4, and 5, Plate 2, is theshuttle for carrying the filling-thread, which thread is represented by green lines in'the several figures. It is curved. at its front part, as shown in the aforesaid figures, so as tobe revolved in the shuttle-race m. m m m, formed in the circular plate a a, saidshuttle-race being made sufficiently wide to permit the rear'end of the shuttle to be made straight for the insertion of the spool a n, on which the filling-thread is wound. The front of the shuttle is beveled or tapered down toa point which travels in a narrow circular guiding-groove, 0 0 0, formed near the exterior of the shuttle-race and be low the bottom of the same, so that the shut tle shall invariablypass through the. loop of the needle-thread formed, as before described. The shuttle Z Z is connected to the vertical r0 tating shaft p p, Fig. 2, Plate 1., and Figs. 3

and 4., Plate 2, by means of the two springarms q q g y, set at an acute angle with each other,'-as shown in said Fig. 3, said arms havingiat their outer ends suitable studs or pins,

'r -r, which engage with corresponding holes formed in the top of the straight part of the shuttle. As the shuttle passes through the loop of the needle-thread, it is necessary that these spring-armsshould be alternately disconnected from the shuttle, and this is 'eifectal by means of 'a cam-ledge, s 3", formed in the inside of the frame-work m m m, directly over thatpart of the shuttle-race m m, &c., where the loop is formed, and so curved, as shown in Fig. 2, Plate 1, as to raise said arms alternately in a manner which will be readily understood by the inspection of said Fig. 2. The vertical shaft 1) ptnrns in the vertical tubular beari-ng t t, Fig. 2, Plate 1, secured to the frameworkmm m, &.c., and is connected by a bevelgear wheel, to, on its top to a similar wheel, c", .on the driving-shaft n n, so that a rapid r0- tary motion may be-imparted to said shuttle, as hereinbefore suggested. A pad or thick washer, as, made of any suitable substance, should be placed between thennder' side of the spring-arms q if on the bottom of the shaft p p, and the circular face of the plate a a 0n the inner side of the shuttle-race, in order to keep the filling-thread straight during the rotilting of the shuttle. Otherwisethe connecting-pins on said arms would get entangled. with said thread.

It should be here observed that it is better to have the shuttle revolve int-he opposite direction to that indicated, as it makes the stitch better by avoiding the putting ofany .furth e1- twist in thefilling-thread, which is liable to make a kink in the stitch.

The driving-shaft an has a fly-\whecl, g, on one end, and may be driven by hand applied to the crank z, or by a band from any driving machinery.

v Having thus described our improved sewing-machine, we shall state our claims as follows: I

\Vhat we claim as our invention, and desire to have secured to us by Letters Patent in the above-described rotary sewing-machine,- is 1. Arranging theshnttle which carriesthe filling-thread so thatit shall revolve horizontally in a circular shuttle-race, said shuttle being constriicted witha curved front and point; .ed nose, which shall travel in a circular guiding-groove sunk below the bottom of said race, so that the shuttle shall invariably pass through the loop formed in the needle-thread, all as hereinabove set forth.

2. The pad or washer under the spring-arms, which carry the shuttle, for keeping the filliug-th read straight, as hereinbefore explained.

3: The arrangement of the wide spring 0' c and bent lever-spring f f, operating as herein above described, or any contrivance substantially equivalent thereto, for relaxing the srn nennnn o. iaronen'rcr. JOHN LEROW.

Witnesses:

EZRA LINCOLN, Jr.. J OSEPH GAVETT. 

